It was obviously nothing more than a coincidence, and yet it appeared symbolic when, as Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen talked about the big shoes he’d have to fill once he’s ready to replace Sam Bradford as the starter, he showed up to his first news conference at training camp wearing no shoes at all.

Rosen stepped to the podium inside University of Phoenix Stadium in a pair of white ankle socks.

“Thank God I don’t have to play tomorrow,” Rosen said when asked how ready he feels for the NFL. “But that’s what training camp is for. I’ll try to get as ready as I possibly can and whether he (coach Steve Wilks) told me I was the starter or second, third or fourth string, I’d prepare just as hard.”

Monday marked the third day of camp and the first set of practices in full pads and, as Wilks already has announced, Bradford is the starter and “it’s his job to lose.” Wilks is giving Rosen every opportunity, letting the rookie not only run the second-team offense and giving him occasional reps with the starters, but doing something else that’s almost taboo.

He gave the rookie a locker in the veterans’ locker room. No one can remember the last time that happened, if ever, during a Cardinals training camp. Rookies have their own stall in a smaller, auxiliary room down the corridor and that’s where they’re told to remain until camp breaks.

“I haven’t seen that in 30 years,” said former Cardinals fullback Ron Wolfley, the team’s longtime radio game analyst.

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Kent Somers and Bob McManaman of azcentral sports, sum up their impressions of Arizona Cardinals camp on Monday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Tom Tingle, Arizona Republic

But Rosen is different. He’s the franchise quarterback the team has been searching for since Matt Leinart proved to be a bust. Given Bradford’s unreliable left knee and Rosen’s talents and pre-draft credentials as the most “NFL-ready” quarterback in this year’s draft class, it only makes sense to put the rookie in an environment where he can get a leg up sooner rather than later.

That’s why the former UCLA standout has his own locker with the vets and no other rookie does.

“The biggest thing there is we’re really trying to get him around Sam as much as possible,” Wilks said Monday. “The communication there is great and the relationship they’ve built over the past couple of months has been good, so anytime you can be able to get Josh around Sam so he can absorb some of that experience, that’s the reason why we did it.”

After three days on the job, Rosen's reviews have been mostly favorable. The arm strength and accuracy stand out immediately. The footwork and mobility are off the charts. Some of his decision-making early on has been spotty, but that’s to be expected as Rosen continues to digest the playbook and transfer paper to play on the field.

Right now, he said he’s “thinking a little too much out there.” Things will start to slow down and become easily repetitive the more he practices.

“I’m focusing so much on getting lined up and get everyone doing the right thing and trying to give it to the right guy,” Rosen said. “When all that stuff is second nature you can focus on other things, but you can never give the ball to the other team. That’s the biggest thing most every coach presses in football is to just take care of the ball.”

There is also a delicate balance Rosen is learning to dance between his heavy dose of media obligations and all of his extra side work in meeting rooms, film study and alone time with Bradford and fellow quarterback Mike Glennon. It hasn’t seemed to overwhelm him, despite the steady stream of television satellite trucks from ESPN, NBC, NFL Network and others that keep rolling into camp for interviews.

It’s difficult to suggest all the national attention is premature given what’s at stake for the Cardinals at the quarterback position. Data collected over the past 20 years proves that first-round quarterbacks usually end up playing between eight to 10 games on average during their rookie season. Of the 55 quarterbacks selected in the first round since 1998, only two didn’t play a lick their first year.

If the Cardinals end up having to turn to Rosen, at least he knows his teammates will have his back. Two of the team’s better players have been talking him up mightily in recent days.

“Josh is special,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “For him to come in the week after he got drafted and be able to put guys in position, being able to make plays, those tight throws, those tight window throws, those seam throws, when a guy coming in from college is able to make those throws right off of getting drafted, that goes to show he’s NFL ready and I think he’s definitely NFL ready.

“I was definitely very impressed by him running the hurry-up offense the first week. I’ve never seen rookies do that before. The guy, you can tell he’s a player for sure and I’m definitely happy that we finally found someone like him in the draft.”

“I love his confidence. I really do,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s not shy. He’s not boastful. But you know he’s confident in his ability. He has a chip on his shoulder and I really like that. I think that’s the way you should be at that position. As a player in the National Football League, you have to have that confidence about yourself because this is the greatest meritocracy.

“You gotta put up or shut up.”

Rosen already remarked how strange it feels to know that some of the best friends he’s made on the roster, guys seven, eight and nine years older, are probably going to end up getting cut.

“It’s definitely a different relationship than college,” Rosen said. “It’s a professional relationship and there’s an understanding that half the guys that are here aren’t going to be here in a little bit.”

31. Colts (32): Really nice to see Andrew Luck practicing and, apparently, pain-free. Also great he's scorching defense in practice ... but he's only first who will do that this year. Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports